


Learned By Heart

by deathwailart



Series: Morgaine Trevelyan [5]
Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/F, Femslash February, Fluff, Massage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-27
Updated: 2015-02-27
Packaged: 2018-03-15 13:20:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3448655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deathwailart/pseuds/deathwailart
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Close to defeating Corypheus, Cassandra pushes herself too hard in training and Morgaine has to take care of her poor brave Seeker.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Learned By Heart

"I'd like to go to Nevarra when this is all over," Morgaine says as she kneads the knotted muscles of Cassandra's shoulders, the Seeker's head falling forward as she groans. "I always wanted to see the Grand Necropolis."  
  
"I cannot understand your fascination with that place," Cassandra mutters, perhaps aiming for venomous but the edge is gone, likely from Morgaine's ministrations.  "I hope the stench of the incense makes you vomit."  
  
"I always preferred entropy spells and spirit magic," Morgaine continues without missing a beat, "and I'm a necromancer now."  
  
"That's proven useful at least." There's a pause that's punctuated by a hiss when Morgaine's fingers find a tender spot to work away at. "It's not all incense and incessant moaning corpses, perfumed and treated like dolls a child would bring to tea."  
  
"I could learn even more."  
  
"My uncle would only tell you what holds the decay at bay, or at least makes it smell even worse somehow though he'd use twice as many words and wouldn't even come close to being honest."  
  
Morgaine leans forward, pressing a kiss to Cassandra's cheek. "Well you'll be off with your mission, no, _calling_ to rebuild the Seekers, Dorian has plans to go reform Tevinter, Leliana's going to be Divine-"  
  
"You're very confident," Cassandra interrupts, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. "We have yet to defeat Corypheus after all."  
  
"You told me not to doubt myself and I believe in this, in us, in what we've built here. I have you at my side, how can I fail?"  
  
Cassandra's cheeks turn red but Morgaine doesn't bother to hide her delighted smile. "I...I had hoped we might have time here, just us.  Or that you might come with me."  
  
"Of course, that goes without saying that I want to be with you, wherever that might be but I need to be able to win over support as quickly as possible, you know how soon they forget. Especially with having supported Leliana's candidacy, she'll have so many reforms and Nevarra-"  
  
"Has mages who would gladly lend you their support and thus sway opinion," Cassandra finishes. "Small wonder Vivienne feels the way she does about you."  
  
"I don't suppose she bargained on a Free Marcher being so good at playing the Game but that's a Chantry Loyalist with you. It's such a shame there were so few of us Lucrosians, they'd be an asset, hopefully I can spend more time finding them, I'm sure Josephine will find a way."  
  
Cassandra snorts. She cares little for the acts Morgaine puts on but she still hears them out, the only one privy to how she plans, even if it's after the fact, the only one who gets to see the honest side, the face beneath the masks.  
  
"You won't see your family?" Cassandra asks at last, aiming for casual but her arched brow gives her away.  
  
Morgaine tuts, gesturing for Cassandra to turn round again. "Josephine's sent them invitations already, though I suppose we haven't yet worked out if they're coming to a victory celebration or a funeral, as if I haven't had to waste enough time and resources on their petty squabbles. Still, _if_ ," she will at least pretend to humour Cassandra's earlier feelings regarding her confidence, "we win, it'll be a treat to watch some of the rabble swallowing their pride, all the ones who said I should have been cut off and disowned from the start rather than indulged and even allowed home a few times."  
  
"Noble families," Cassandra mutters with a heavy sigh, "more trouble than they're worth."  
  
"At least neither of us are Orlesian." They laugh together – and it's rare to get a chance these days, anything pleasant that isn't steeped in blood and death is worth its weight in gold, a reminder that she still has to properly romance or perhaps court Cassandra to her satisfaction once all this is over – until Cassandra swears, grimacing and twisting away from Morgaine's hands in pain. The mage sighs, getting off the bed to kneel before the other woman, taking her hands in hers. "You do realise that you undermine the point you're trying to make when you're so stiff I had to help you out of your armour."  
  
"I never realised you thought that to be such a chore." There's no teasing this time, Cassandra almost snaps the words and Morgaine sighs again, bringing callused hands to her lips to kiss knuckles stained faded purple and green from bruises, the grip of a shield still leaving a mark across one palm when she turns it over. It distracts Cassandra, allows her to soften if only for a moment, Morgaine able to feel it when she presses her lips to her wrist, pulse fluttering beneath it. "I have to be ready-"  
  
It's easiest to cut Cassandra off with a real kiss, rising as high on her knees as she can to spare Cassandra's back.  
  
"Darling," she croons, cupping Cassandra's face, trailing fingers over those high cheekbones, "I want you by my side to the bitter end, don't do this. If not for your own sake or for the inquisition’s then for mine. I like watching you fight, I've never denied that but when you end up like this when you've shouldered so much-" It's Cassandra's turn to cut her off, fingers in Morgaine's hair and she'd be annoyed but there isn't anything pressing that requires her personal attendance tonight apart from the meetings she and her advisors hold so she can afford to look a little rumpled rather than the pristine vision the world sees.  
  
"There's only one thing for it," she announces, getting to her feet in one fluid motion just because it'll make Cassandra roll her eyes because Morgaine _can_ but she has plans to make up for it. "Do you need me to help you undress the rest of the way?"  
  
Cassandra looks as if she's about to immediately refuse her help but then she pauses and sighs. "The shirt. I don't know if I can manage that, or the lacings of my boots."  Morgaine kneels again, unlacing the boots and even tugging them off before she crosses the room to unlock one of the lavishly decorated keepsake boxes she's been sent as gifts. There's an irritated commentary of grunts and curses from the bed as she unlocks one and peruses an array of tiny bottles, opening a few to sniff at them speculatively before making her decision, the chosen bottle tucked in a pocket as she return to help Cassandra out of her shirt, carefully easing it up and shushing her when she cries out in pain.  
  
"My brave warrior." There's no sarcasm, no teasing, only utter sincerity because she trusts Cassandra, loves her in a way that surprises her because she's never denied that she's selfish, that she pursues her goals with single-minded intent but here they both are and she wouldn't change that for the world. There are a lot of things she'd like to do right now when Cassandra is naked before her, looking so tired and in need of a loving touch but she points to the bed and Cassandra awkwardly settles herself, not even attempting to look over her shoulder.  
  
"What are you doing?" She asks at the rustling of robes, Morgaine stripping out of her long coat and rolling up her sleeves, unwilling to risk ruining them with the oil. Maybe one day, when this isn't to help ease aches and pains she'll do this nude, until Cassandra either rolls them both over or begs for her to do more.  
  
"Looking after you, someone has to," she explains as she rolls the bottle between her palms, the bed dipping beneath her weight as she settles a knee on either side of Cassandra's hips. Before she begins, she leans forward, kissing between her shoulder blades with a smile, pouring the warmed oil down her back after, her touches light as she works it into her skin. "Relax, if you fall asleep I'll take it as a testament to my skill."  
  
"Funny, that's not what you said-"  
  
Whatever else Cassandra wants to say is lost in the long moan that escapes the Seeker once she gets to work in earnest that eventually tapers off into soft sighs then silence. Morgaine keeps going, determined to see Cassandra back to her old self by the morning even if she misses their meeting tonight, sure that she's asleep until there's a sleepy sounding murmur.  
  
"Don't think this is going to get me to come to the Grand Necropolis with you."

**Author's Note:**

> Title from an Elizabeth Bishop poem:  
> Close, close all night  
> the lovers keep.  
> They turn together  
> in their sleep,
> 
> Close as two pages  
> in a book  
> that read each other  
> in the dark.
> 
> Each knows all  
> the other knows,  
> learned by heart  
> from head to toes.


End file.
